Sanjay Raut leader of Sena MPs of both houses

Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray has notified Speaker Sumitra Mahajan that he has appointed Rajya Sabha party leader Sanjay Raut as the leader of Shiv Sena’s parliamentary party, which comprises 18 MPs of the Lok Sabha, apart from three in the Upper House. This is the first time Sena has appointed a single leader in charge of both the Houses.

The move comes amid buzz that BJP has been trying to ‘cultivate’ some Sena LS MPs. The suspicion strengthened during the noconfidence motion when it was said that Sena LS chief whip Chandrakant Khaire issued a whip for Sena MPs to vote for the government.

Thackeray had to dismiss the news and clarify that the party decision was to abstain, which the MPs did during the vote.

“Shiv Sena has a strength of eighteen MPs in the 16th Lok Sabha and three MPs in Rajya Sabha. Anandrao Adsul is the Shiv Sena party group leader in Lok Sabha and Sanjay Raut represents Shiv Sena as group leader in the Rajya Sabha. In addition to the above arrangement, I hereby appoint Sanjay Raut, Member of Rajya Sabha, as Shiv Sena parliamentary party leader for both the Houses of Parliament as a facilitat ive measure,” Uddhav Thackeray is learnt to have said in a letter to the Speaker. He requested her “to take note of the same and communicate accordingly.” Shiv Sena camps remain tightlipped about the news but a Lok Sabha Secretariat source confirmed Thackeray’s communique has been received.

The arrangement establishes Thackeray confidant Raut’s command over all Sena MPs and makes Adsul and Khaire work under his overall leadership in Parliament.

There have been murmurs about some Sena MPs not displaying enough ‘aggression’ in the LS. The BJP-Sena turf-battle too has been growing, leading to speculation the two may fight polls separately. Consequently, some BJP leaders have been trying to ‘influence’ some Sena MPs of the LS.